Hose supporter



March 1961 D. M. JOHNSON 2,975,432

HOSE SUPPORTER Filed March 9, 1959 INVENTOR. 0020770 M J0///'V50/V HOSE SUPPORTER Dorothy Marie Johnson, 7284 Berwo'od Drive, Madeira, Ohio Filed Mar. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 798,116

3 Claims. (Cl. 2-306) The present invention relates to a hose supporter and more particularly to an improved hose supporter or garter belt for pre-natal use.

Conventional hose supporters are usually -of the waistencircling type and are worn around the hips and abdornen. Such hose supporters are maintained in position by the fact that they fit snugly against the body of the wearer. Hose supporters of this type have heretofore been unsuitable for pre-natal wear since the snug fit causes them to be constricting and creates pressure on the abdomen which is both uncomfortable and unhealthful. If loosened, so as to not be constricting, such hose supporters tend to slip or slide and cannot be maintained in positionto support the hose of the wearer. As a consequence of the above, hose supporters for pro-natal wear have been of unconventional types which are suspended from the shoulders or which underlie the abdomen. Since these types of hose supporters differ widely from, and in general are more complicated than, conven tional hose supporters many women find them uncomfortable and difiicult to wear.

An object of the present invention is to provide a hose supporter of conventional waist-encircling type adapted for pre-natal wear and which will not create disagreeable pressure on the abdomen of the wearer.

The above object is realized in the present invention by provision of a hose supporter of the waist-encircling type which includes a front section formed of a plurality of elongated bands of wide, soft elastic.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention depicting the manner in which it is meant to be worn; and

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the present invention.

As illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing the hose supporter of the present invention consists of a belt member shown generally at and a plurality of garters 11 attached at spaced intervals to the lower edge thereof. The belt member 10 includes a front section 12 secured between two side panels 13 and 14. The front section 12 is formed of a plurality of bands 15 of wide, soft elastic, such as is commonly known as boxer elastic. Each band is of substantial length, usually between four and eight inches, and is secured firmly to the side panels at its opposite extremities. The bands are generally parallel and of even length, with no interconnection between the extremities. The side panels 13 and 14- are formed of woven non-elastic material as clearly indicated in Figure 2 each have one free extremity 16 and 17, on each of which is mounted one portion of an adjustable securing means which can be selectively engaged or disengaged. In practice, this means can be a conventional hook and eye, as shown at 18 and 19, or any other suitable equivalent.

When the present invention is being worn as shown in .1 rates Parent G Fig. 1, the front section 12 is positioned over the abdomen of the wearer and the free ends of the side panels are secured together behind the wearers back. The securing means is adjusted so that the belt member fits snugly around the wearers waist and yet is not uncomfortable. In this condition the bands 15 are under ten sion and tend to hold the present invention in position. Since the bands 15 are approximately an inch or an inch and a half wide, the force exerted by the elastic is spread over a wide area and there is no concentration of force within a narrow portion of the width of the belt member. In addition, since the elastic is soft it readily yields to movements of the wearers body, such as occur in bending or reaching, to maintain the belt member snugly in place without binding. The plurality of bands permit the front section to conform to the wearers body since each band can expand or contract independently of the adjacent band or hands.

The fact that the belt member of the present invention conforms to the wearers body and is readily yieldable permits unrestrained movement of the wearer without causing constricting pressures. This permits the present invention to be worn safely and comfortably during prenatal use and, in addition, makes it highly suitable for normal use before or after pregnancy.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What I claim is:

1. A waist encircling maternity hose support, comprising a pair of oppositely disposed side panels of woven substantially non-elastic material, a front section comprising a plurality of elongated bands of wide soft readily yieldable elastic capable of readily yielding to movements of the wearer, said bands being interposed between and connected at their respective ends to said side panels, fastening means associated with the free ends of said side panels for securing said side panels together and said support about the body of the wearer and a plurality of spaced garters secured to and depending from said side panels.

2. A waist encircling maternity hose support comprising two oppositely disposed side panels of woven substantially non-elastic material, a front section comprising plurality of elongated bands of wide soft elastic capable of readily yielding to movements of the wearer, said bands being interposed between and connected to said side panels, means associated with the free ends of the side panels of said support for fastening it about the body of the wearer and depending garter means associated with said support for engaging and supporting the hose of the wearer.

3. A waist encircling maternity hose support comprising a pair of opposed side panels, a front section comprising a plurality of elongated bands of soft elastic material readily yielding to movements of the wearer, said bands being interposed between and secured at their respective ends to said side panels, fastening means associated with the free ends of the side panels of said support for securing said side panels together and said support about the body of the wearer and garter means depending from said support to engage and support the hose of the wearer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 572,465 Woolfolk et al Dec. 1, 1896 832,279 Smock Oct. 2, 1906 2,740,969 Dubner Apr. 10, 1956 2,862,501 Blatt Dec. 2, 1958 

